


Jared the Optimist

by sinnerforhire



Series: 365 Days of J2 Fanfic [53]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, M/M, Service Dogs, Sick Jensen, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 12:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10163510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinnerforhire/pseuds/sinnerforhire
Summary: Jensen is in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant. Jared brings in his therapy dog to cheer him up.





	

“Good morning!” chirps the first shift nurse, Briana, as she wheels the vitals cart into his room.

“Is it?” grumbles Jensen. He waves a hand in the vague direction of the window. “It’s raining. And it’s so dark I couldn’t even tell it was morning until you came in.”

Briana wraps the blood pressure cuff around Jensen’s arm and fastens it. “Well, at least you’ve got a warm bed and a roof over your head.” The cuff inflates, squeezing the hell out of his arm, and then slowly deflates. Briana notes the reading and frowns. “A little tense this morning, huh?”

“I couldn’t sleep, and it was annoying.” Jensen grits his teeth as Briana checks his leads and takes down readings from the various monitors around his bed. 

“Well, we need to bring that down.” She taps on the iPad screen for a minute and then returns it to the cart. “I’ll talk to Dr. Sheppard and see if he wants me to give you some Ativan.” She pats his arm. “Hang in there.”

Jensen yawns and turns on the TV. Sometimes he wonders why he even bothers with treatment at all. All he’d have to do is sign himself out AMA and go home—the home he hasn’t been to in over three months—and in a few days, it’d be over. He’d go to sleep, and his heart would just slowly stutter to a halt, and he’d never feel a thing. 

He’s just starting to really feel depressed when there’s a small knock at the door. Jensen looks up, expecting to see a doctor or nurse, but instead it’s a tall, floppy-haired boy with a red volunteer vest and what might be the cutest damn dog Jensen has ever seen. He—or she, Jensen’s not sure—is a young golden retriever in a red vest of his/her own, who’s standing at the tall boy’s side but looks as if she wants to run or jump or do any or all of the things therapy dogs are not allowed to do. 

The boy smiles. “Hey, are you Jensen?”

Jensen’s eyes widen. “Yeah. Who are you?”

“Jared,” the boy replies, and somehow his smile gets even bigger, big enough to reveal dimples that make him look just about as cute as the dog. “And this is Sadie. We heard that you need a little stress relief, so here we are.” Jared goes to take a step forward, but then freezes. “Can we come in? We’re supposed to ask first.”

“Yeah, sure.” Jensen nods, and Jared’s face lights up. He walks over to the side of Jensen’s bed and Sadie immediately jumps up, propping her front paws on the bed rail and nosing at Jensen’s arm until he gives in and pets her head. Her fur is incredibly soft, and Jensen finds himself grinning in spite of his shitty mood. “How old is she?” he asks, glancing up at Jared.

“Ten and a half months,” answers Jared. “Technically, she’s still training. She’s still a little more enthusiastic than she’s supposed to be.” Jared taps Sadie’s neck. “Sadie, sit.”

Sadie drops down to the floor and sits down next to the bed. Jared reaches in his pocket and pulls out a treat. “Good girl,” he says, feeding it to her. Jensen reaches out to pet her again, and Sadie wiggles happily underneath his hand, her tail swishing as it wags across the tile floor. “She really likes you.”

Jensen looks up at Jared and smiles. “I like her, too.” He scratches Sadie under her chin and her tail starts to thump against the floor. “I really needed this. Thank you.”

Jared blushes a little. “You’re welcome. We come every Tuesday and Thursday before my classes start.”

“So you’re in college?”

Jared nods. “Yeah, I’m a junior at Etown, but I commute from home because they won’t let me have her in student housing.”

“Even though she’s a service dog?”

“Service dogs in training don’t count,” replies Jared with a shrug. “I lost my appeal last year, and I’d need a lawyer to get any further, so I gave up.”

“That sucks.” Jensen scratches behind Sadie’s ears and she tilts her head in a really cute way. He grins. “I wouldn’t want to leave her, either.”

“Yeah, she’s the best.” Jared pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks at it. “I’ve got a couple more rooms to hit this morning, so I’ve gotta go, but…” He grabs Jensen’s water glass and then takes the dry-erase marker off the wall board. He writes a number down on the cup and signs his name underneath. “Call me, or text me, and I can see about making a special trip.”

“Jared, I—” Jensen swallows hard. “I don’t want—I mean, you shouldn’t, um…get too attached.”

Jared’s bright smile falters. “I was just trying to be helpful.” He sticks the marker back on the board and sets the cup on the table. “But if you don’t want my help—”

“No, that’s not—” Jensen rubs a hand over his face. “I just meant—I might not be around for that much longer. I don’t want you to be sad if I—if I don’t get the transplant in time.”

“Well, lucky for you, I’m an optimist.” Jared covers the hand Jensen’s using to pet Sadie with his own. “I wanna be your friend, for however long I can.”

Jensen turns his hand and twines his fingers with Jared’s. “I would really like that.”

Jared beams, dimples coming out in full force. Even though the rain is still pouring down against the window, it’s sunny in Jensen’s room now. “So would I.” He presses the cup into Jensen’s free hand. “So call me, okay?”

Jensen nods. “I will.” 

Jared leans down and kisses Jensen’s cheek underneath the tube of the nasal cannula. “See you later, Jensen.”

“Yeah,” replies Jensen, grinning. “I definitely will.”


End file.
